A Technological Solution for Supporting Fall Prevention Exercises at the Physiotherapy Clinic

Several fall risk factors contribute to a fall, being most of them related to the person physical capabilities as mobility, balance control, and muscle strength. Several fall prevention programs are reported to revert fall-related factors, however there is a lack of personalization in these solutions. This paper describes a technological solution to be used by physiotherapists, at the clinic, for an objective analysis of fall prevention exercises, personalized exercise prescription and progression assessment over time. The exercises are monitored with two wearable inertial sensors and a pressure platform for mobility, strength and balance assessment. In order to validate the system, a set of five exercises, from the Otago Exercise Program, were tested with a group of 16 elderly volunteers during several sessions. Spatial, temporal and balance metrics were extracted during the exercises, providing quantitative feedback during the exercise. The results indicate that inertial and pressure sensors are suitable for exercise tracking during fall prevention exercises. Range of motion, weight distribution and shifting, balance and cycle identification were successfully monitored for all exercises.